Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Swedish-Japanese vocalist Yukimi Nagano (best known as the lead singer of the post-punk and electronica group Little Dragon) shares her debut album on Ninja Tune, embodying the best of her charms as a solo artist whose space away from the band allows her ample time to reflect on her own emotions. Born of the first production 'Sad Makeup' - a song about the inevitably, always-botched attempt to suppress and sweep sad feelings under the rug, and the ways this backfires when around close friends - the entire album in fact threads a narrative yarn centring on the overcoming of "darkest nights", externalised in the repeated mention in the lyrics of Sweden's long, dark and shivery winters. Taking cues from everyone to filmmaker Ingmar Bergman to collaborator Lianne La Havas, Nagano wears her vulnerability on her sleeve.

Review: Yussef Days, a virtuoso drummer, has injected fresh energy into contemporary jazz and broken beat genres through multiple innovative projects, each showcasing his remarkable talent. One of them is The Yussef Dayes Experience which recently dropped its Live At Joshua Tree Presented By Soulection album and now follows it up with another live album, this time from Malibu, on Gilles Peterson's revered Brownswood label. It features music from his critically acclaimed debut solo album, Black Classical Music, and plenty of other gems on limited vinyl with features from his usual longtime collaborators Rocco Palladino, Venna, Elijah Fox, and Alexander Bourt.

Review: Following the success of their standout single 'Feel The Rush,' Zaimie returns with Black Velvet, a lush new long player that blends jazz, funk, soul and global rhythms that all expand on the group's signature sound while remaining rooted in groove and emotion. Each track showcases Zaimie's refined musicianship and evolving songwriting, from silky basslines to soaring melodies on 'New Life' to more horn-led celebrations like 'Weekender Breeze' and sunny vocal charmers like 'Can't Do Without It'. Black Velvet feels timeless and contemporary and makes for a confident step forward for Zaimie, who are ever more polished and full of soul.

Review: Zan's new album on BDQ Records is a refreshing blend of boogie, jazz, funk and soul. Known for her strong and sultry voice, Zan rose to fame in the 80s as the lead singer of Melbourne's I'm Talking, alongside Kate Ceberano, and her vocals on hits like 'Holy Word' remain iconic in Australian music history. Zan's musical journey includes collaborations with The Models and appearances in music films like Australian Made. Her diverse background, born in London with Sri Lankan heritage, has influenced her soulful style. Having lived in New York and London, Zan's experiences shine through in her music. Her self-titled solo album in the 90s and tours with bands like Mother Earth improved her career internationally. Back in Melbourne, Zan continues to enchant audiences with her live performances. Her new songs are steeped in 80s dance and pop flavours, re-capturing that feelgood factor from the era whilst bringing to it a new unique and contemporary.

Review: The latest record to waft from the Four Flies feeding ground focuses on Paolo Zavallone, an elusive musician and patron of the DIY music label Paloma Records, which only saw five records released. After venturing into the world of music publishing in 1983, Zavallone would either produce licensed-for-film music himself, or consign the task to his peers, chiefly his friend Mauro Malavasi. This record, made up of a quint of nameless, coverless records, captures the highlights of the sottofondi style, i.e. incidental music made largely for early 80s Italian comedy series on TV. Easy listening fusion blends with pots-and-pans avant-gardism ('Cronaca Nera' particularly), proving the remarkably prescient range of an obscure musician.

Review: Ziggy and the extended ZFEX crew return with their most ambitious project yet, a double album that dives deep into the tension between creative instinct and artistic intention. Spanning 15 tracks recorded between Berlin and London, the record sees the collective pushing their signature fusion of jazz, funk, and electronic influences into bold new spaces, with a fresh embrace of disco and highlife grooves. Throughout, vintage synths and off-kilter percussion meet the addition of electric guitar, adding a raw, expressive edge to the band's evolving sound. 'Astras Theme' sets the stage with a swirling, cinematic introduction, while 'Radicalise' brings a frenetic energy, driven by tightly wound rhythms and razor-sharp instrumentation. Elsewhere, 'Shine Your Light' channels a cosmic funk sensibility, balancing the album's introspective moments with sheer dancefloor exuberance. With contributions from a diverse lineup of forward-thinking musicians across Europe, the UK, and Australiaiincluding appearances from Oscar Jerome and Tom Driesslerithis record stands as the most dynamic and exploratory incarnation of ZFEX to date. It's a project that refuses to sit still, capturing the restless spirit of a band constantly evolving yet always deeply rooted in groove.

Review: Zero 7's LateNightTales debut, Another Late Night, was first released in 2002, shortly after the electronica duo had been nominated for a Mercury Prize in light of their debut record Simple Things. The inevitable vaunting of their music reached its peak when one well-known pundit described their music as "the Sistine Chapels of music in a sea of affordable accommodation." Unlike their expertly crafted originals in the vein of trip-hop, downtempo and acid jazz, their LateNightTales album is of course a selectors' DJ compilation, which to this day incites its invitees (usually musicians as well as DJs) to select and remix tunes only as though they were sleepwalking through the dream fantasies made up by their own musical influences. Here, Zero 7 share various musical traumata, manifest and latent interpretations of songs, by the likes of The Cinematic Orchestra, Quasimoto, Jim O'Rourke, Serge Gainsbourg, Don Blackman, The Stylistics, Joy Zipper, Slum Village and Da Lata, all of which, as we can patently hear, fed into their relatively unpeggable, interwoven chillout sound.